10 Favorite Local Hip-Hop Tracks of 2012

It's been a mighty big year for hip-hop music in Arizona, most notably with the explosion of the locally-produced platinum hit "Mercy" by Kanye West. Producer and New F-Os member Lifted helped direct ears towards our corner of the map for his work on the massively popular track, but he hasn't been the only one putting in quality work in the Valley. Here's a look at some of our favorite hip-hop beats provided by Arizona's own.

The city was rocked late last year when 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley went missing. Phoenix-based rapper Trap House responded to the disappearance with a tribute track condemning media coverage of the case in a release early this year. Trap pulls no punches in his denunciation saying, "We knew about Kim Kardashian/And how Dick Cheney's shooting was an accident/And how America's become so passionate/Except when it come to young, black Africans." It's a strong message aimed at a channel that continues to be under scrutiny for how it handles headlines.

There's a certain kind of silliness to this tune by Tempe rapper Futuristic.

Dominated by a playful synth whirl, the self-described "goofy-ass dude" perfectly translates personality to melody with this AKT Aktion-produced song. "I need a Caucasian girl with a booty as big as Coco's," he says jokingly. One of 17 tracks off of the February release, Dream Big, Futuristic is clearly having fun while taking the title of his record very, very seriously.